The Portland Trail Blazers (13-13) will attempt to put an end to their five-game losing streak when they meet the Miami Heat (13-13) at AmericanAirlines Arena. The game gets underway at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 13, 2017.
The Over/Under (O/U) for the game opened at 202 points with Miami set as a 2.5-point favorite.
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Miami Heat Free Prediction
The Trail Blazers are hoping for a better outcome after their 111-104 loss to the Golden State Warriors in their last game. Golden State launched 20 three pointers, making 10 of them (50.0 percent). Portland, on the other hand, was 7-28 (25.0 percent). Damian Lillard was the game’s high scorer with 39 points on 12-for-28 shooting.
In the Heat’s last game, they easily got past the Memphis Grizzlies, 107-82. Miami’s effective field goal percentage was their largest strength over Memphis. The Heat had a rate of 0.667 (above their season average of 0.521), while the Grizzlies posted a mark of 0.444 (below their season average of 0.506). Goran Dragic was Miami’s high scorer with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
The ineffective offense of Miami will face off against the elite defense of Portland. The Heat currently rank 24th in offensive efficiency, while the Trail Blazers are fifth in defensive efficiency. The Trail Blazers figure to have the edge on that end of the court.
Portland comes into the contest with records of 13-13 straight up (SU) and 10-13-3 against the spread (ATS). Games featuring the Trail Blazers tend to go under the projected point total (69.2 percent).
Meanwhile, Miami is 13-13 SU and 10-14-2 ATS. Heat games also have typically finished under the O/U total (57.7 percent).
After the Trail Blazers won both meetings against the Heat last season, this will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. In the last matchup, Portland won 115-104. The Trail Blazers made 18 of their 24 free throws (75.0 percent) and had a better effective field goal percentage (0.584 vs. 0.517).
Portland Trail Blazers vs. Miami Heat Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Heat, ATS Winner – Heat, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Portland is 6-4-1 ATS on the road with 7 unders and 4 overs.
At home, Miami is 2-7-2 ATS with 5 overs, 5 unders and 1 push.
Portland and Miami are both 9-3 when they allow under 100 points.
The Trail Blazers are 11-6 when they score above 100 points, while the Heat are 10-5.
Miami ranks fourth in three pointers attempted per game (32.2) while Portland ranks 24th (25.0).
The Trail Blazers rank fourth in rebounds per game (46.0) while the Heat rank 24th (41.3).
Miami ranks 10th in blocks allowed per game (4.5) while Portland ranks 27th (5.8).
The Trail Blazers rank 13th in second chance points per game (12.5) while the Heat rank 28th (9.3).
Miami ranks 18th in steals per game (7.4) while Portland ranks 27th (6.6).
The Heat rank 20th in points off turnovers per game (15.8) while the Trail Blazers rank 27th (14.8).
Miami ranks 22nd in assists per game (21.0) while Portland ranks 29th (18.1).
The Heat are 28th in the league with 7.6 fast break points per game while the Trail Blazers are last with 5.1 fast break points per game.
Portland and Miami both average 40.5 points in the paint per game, which ranks 26th in the league.
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 2-3 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Miami is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders, 1 over and 1 push over their last five games.
The Trail Blazers have been outscored by an average of 9.4 points in their last five games. For the season, Portland has defeated opponents by an average of 1.8 points.
During their last five games, the Heat have scored an average of 102.6 points per game (2.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 102.2 points per game (0.6 below their season average).
